Planning a Magic Napa Valley Getaway
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Posted On :
Mar-05-2010
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Article Word Count :
714
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California’s Napa Valley is just an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, making it the perfect weekend getaway for Northern California residents and visitors to the Bay Area.
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One of the best ways to relax, have fun or melt away the stress of everyday life is simply to escape into another world for a short time. For more than five million people each year, this is exactly why Napa Valley exists.
So how about a little getaway, into a different world? Let's drop into a civilized land of rolling hills and year-round gorgeous scenery, in a Mediterranean climate, filled with arts and entertainments, wine, food - and the heady atmosphere of the good life.
Napa Valley is a magical corner of the world just an hour's drive north of San Francisco. The Valley's sunshine is cooled by coastal breezes, with a climate that works beautifully for vineyards growing grapes, and perfectly for humans enjoying the Valley's ever-present sense of fun.
The valley is an undulating land rising up into foothills, with an amazingly diverse set of natural features. The clever inhabitants of the picturesque, Victorian-era towns have spent over a century putting all of these gifts of nature into service for the visitor's pleasure.
There are medicinal hot springs and luxurious, pampering spas, and one of the nation's three Old Faithful geysers, a great favorite along the wine-tour trail. There are caves, seized on by vintners as perfect wine cellars, and very often furnished for dinners, parties and musical performances with flawless acoustics.
There's even a petrified forest, one of the finest preserved examples of the Pliocene age from three million years ago. There are three state parks, one of them historical. Horse-riding and hiking are abundant. Parks are plentiful. Bike trails abound. Golf - of course - is everywhere. Deer roam the hills while humans explore the shopping, dining, wine tasting and countless other acts of festivity, all in a congenial California mix of indoors and outdoors.
A gourmet wine train runs through the valley and a river does too, widening at the town of Napa into a riverwalk and cruise experience. Napa is the principal town of the Valley, home to the opera house and the large cultural center and museum set lavishly on the riverbank.
Napa Valley is 35 miles long and 5 miles wide, and getting around it is easy. Besides trains and boats there are hot-air balloons, taxis, buses, shuttles, tour vehicles, limousines, motorized rickshaws, horses, bicycles, kayaks and carriages. Designated drivers are always there for you, and rentals abound, including planes at the jet-capable airport.
And don't forget good old feet, in a place where you can count on unique discoveries around every corner.
Napa Valley is justly famous for its wine, which is everywhere, usually accompanied by amazingly fresh organic foods, grown locally and prepared by world-class chefs.
Romance is big in Napa Valley. It's a honeymoon and anniversary getaway destination - small wonder, when the daily living is so naturally elegant, and the nightlife is so alive. And the two magic foods of wine and chocolate are everywhere.
The Valley is also easy for families with kids too, a friendly place universally welcoming and accommodating. And the great abundance of the Valley means you can visit without hurting your pocketbook. You can find bargains everywhere if you're looking. Just ask the locals - ordinary people enjoy living in the Valley for good reason.
As a final gift to the visitor, Napa Valley is always in season, with seasonal activities year round. There's sun, rain, snow, heat from the springs, cool from the lakes. The grape vines may rest in winter but this is exactly when the fields burst into life with wild blooms, signaling a new festive season of events.
The only thing Napa Valley doesn't have is a recovery program for your addiction to its magic. No single guide can describe all there is in the Valley for you to discover. You'll have to explore for yourself, and more than once - Napa Valley is not a one-time event. Once bitten, you'll always return for that unique, Napa Valley magic.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Planning a Magic Napa Valley Getaway_12519.aspx
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Author Resource :
What to do:
Napa Valley Vinters gives info on valley wineries. The Napa Valley Wine Train is a memorable experience.
Where To Stay:
The Holiday Inn Express Napa Valley is the newest hotel in the area, and nicely upscale.
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Keywords :
Napa Valley, Napa Valley getaway, Napa Valley travel,
Category :
Travel and Leisure
:
Travel and Leisure
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